


Repair

by Xiven



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Handplates (Undertale), Angst, Gen, Parent W. D. Gaster, gaster doesn't fall
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2020-12-07 21:46:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20982881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xiven/pseuds/Xiven
Summary: Gaster created these living tools to save all of monster kind, and he will accomplish this no matter the twinges of affection he feels for them. He tortures them, manipulates them, and ignores their steady mental decline. Then, an experiment goes awry, and Subject 1 is left broken  almost beyond repair.It’s simply another experiment to have Subject 2 bring 1 back to life, but something about his feelings regarding them have changed, something he can’t seem to undo no matter how hard he denies it.So he has a choice. To choose between monster kind, or the last of his own kind— to do what he should have done from the start, or continue feebly into this experimentation until they, like the others, turn to dust.Such selfish sentimentality, though, gets people killed…--Gaster tries to be a father. It goes about as well as you'd expect. Based on the Handplates AU by Zarla!





	1. Chapter 1

He doesn’t really see anything for a moment, blind terror taking hold of him as he looks down at Subject 1’s still form. His skull is shattered, and he says this in a shaking voice aloud for his recorder. The eye that he had once destroyed is now broken beyond repair. He’d known Subject 1 was delicate, but for the monster’s own magic to turn against him like that…

Truthfully, Gaster hadn’t expected it.

And before he can even process what has happened, he feels himself spring into action, pulling Subject 1’s hands away from its shattered skull and conjuring the green magic he’d been losing to the forefront. It takes considerable force to push the magic through his fingertips, but Gaster knows that his efforts will only be temporary. The tiny skeleton’s permanent smile is grotesque now, horrifying in its solidity, and he knows he has to be fast to save his SOUL. 

And he says to himself, this is for the experiment. He made two of them in case something like this happened, but he won’t let it die. He punched holes in his hands to save monster kind, and to lose a subject is to lose half his potential for success.

That’s the only reason he’s shaking, he knows. So he keeps a hand generating a stream of green magic as his signing hands grab the supplies necessary to keep Subject 1 from turning to dust. 

In moments, the skeleton is stripped of its clothing, and is pushed into the vat of magic liquid that will sustain it, at least, for now. He’s still shaking when he pulls away from looking at what he’s done. He can feel his LOVE grow, but strangely he no longer cares. He’s… he won’t admit it, exactly, but there’s no other word: he’s worried about this. What if Subject 1 perishes? What will Subject 2 do?

Gaster isn’t sure, but he looks down at his hole-punched hands and then back up at 1. Guilt, as usual, eats away at him, along with several other emotions that he’s squashed down. Anxiety creeps up, but he keeps a stone face, and he stands there, seeing pieces of 1’s skull all over the floor. 

How is he going to fix this? Mistakes would always happen, but he should have known better than to do this to Subject 1 first. Gaster fixes his lab coat and wipes at his brow, unsure of how to proceed. He grabs a cigarette and lights it and begins to pace, trying to think.

“Subject 1 is nearly fallen,” he says into his recorder, his voice steady though his hands are not, “I did… I did not take into account his fragility, not the way I should have. Though no one could have predicted this, I believe it is fixable. He hasn’t turned to dust yet, after all.” He turns to look at the time and sees that it is late— surely past the time he should have been with Subject 1. Subject 2 will surely be wondering where his ‘brother’ is, and Alphys is surely worried about her companion. He’s been down here for at least two days, running numbers and data and experiments.

“We’ll see,” he says resolutely, and he grabs a portion for Subject 2, leaving the other piece there among the shattered skull and dust on the floor.

\--

“Where’s… where’s my brother?” Subject 2 asks, looking up at him with fear. He clearly fears the worst.

“The experiment went awry,” he says, “Subject 1 is not going to be back for quite some time. Get to sleep.” He turns and hears the small, childish voice of the other skeleton.

“W-Wait! Please! Is… is he okay? Did you hurt him?” Gaster doesn’t speak for a moment, looking at the floor and trying to stop his imperceptible shaking.

“Get to sleep,” he says again, and he leaves Subject 2 to his imagination.

\--

“H-Hey Gaster!” Alphys says over the phone, and he signs as he prepares to reach the surface, the elevator moving too slowly for his liking.

“Hello,” he says aloud, though he really doesn’t need to as his hands sign for him, “I apologize for being so late. I lost track of time.”

“I-It’s okay!” she says, “I was j-just worried. I haven’t seen you, i-is all.” Gaster shrugs off the feeling of the world on his shoulders and replies,

“I see. Again, my apologies. We were scheduled to speak over coffee about the experiments with the souls,” he says, and he pauses, “However, I will be unable to attend. I have been working hard, as you know, and I need some rest.” Alphys seems crestfallen by her voice over the phone when she replies, but he doesn’t make much note of it. She’s… a good monster, but he has better things to do with his time than spend it with her.

Really, he shouldn’t be leaving the lab so soon after such a devastating accident, but the liquid magic will keep Subject 1 from falling, and he needs to relax, else more accidents may occur.

\--

The night passes, sleepless, and the next morning comes quickly, though its hard to tell underground. He can remember when the warm sun shone overhead, and monsters were free to roam as they pleased. He remembers his family from long ago…  
It’s a memory he clings to despite himself, something he uses to push him on in his experimentation on the skeletons he created from his own magic— his own bones.

When he reaches the lab, he finds Subject 2 sleeping with tear-stains on his face, and Subject 1 as lifeless as ever, but not dust. He spends the day running data, seeing what can be done. It seems like days have passed before he realizes he has not fed his other subject, and he rushes to the cell to find Subject 2 crying, small in the large room.

“Y-You’re back!” he says, and he jumps up and runs to the bars, “W-Where’s… where’s my brother?” 

Gaster says nothing, merely looking at Subject 2 with his one good eye and hands him his portion.

“You look really tired…” he says softly, and Gaster shakes his head.

“I’ve been working,” he says simply, “You will not be coming with me today.”

“He’s really hurt, isn’t he?” 2 asks. Gaster stands there for a long moment.

He pauses before admitting, “Subject 1 is healing poorly.” 

2 begins to sob, throwing his hands over his eyes, and it almost physically pains Gaster to see this. He’s not sure why, he’s seen this monster cry before, but… the guilt begins to chew at him again, and he turns to leave.

“Please! Please… don’t let him die.” He hears the terror in the skeletons voice, and is shocked at the lack of hatred in his words. Subject 2 should be angry, but he probably has a feeling it had been an accident. After all, if Gaster wanted to kill them, he would have done it a long time ago.

\--

When he brings Subject 2 and 1 together again, Gaster has already made his decision. He watches them from afar before looking at his hands, wondering if half of what he’s done can be undone. But he knows more than any monster that once actions have been made, they cannot be taken away. A crumpled paper does not return to its original state, no matter how much you might try to flatten it.

Gaster watches the two hug as Subject 2 cries. It has been three months since they have seen one another, three months of waiting, of hoping, of trying. Gaster clears his throat, bringing the attention back to himself.

“Subject 1 needs to rest,” he says, and Subject 1 looks at him, dread in his eyes.

“W-Wait…” he says softly.

“No waiting,” Gaster replies, “Subject 2, come with me. We have to let him rest.”

“But… b-but…” Subject 2 says softly, “I-I don’t want to leave him. What if he needs me? P-Please?”

“I will make sure he remains conscious,” Gaster explains, “But you’ve done your job. Now, come along.” 

\--

After Subject 2 is back in his cell, he walks back to where Subject 1 is. He finds the little skeleton staring up at the ceiling, a dark, distant look in his hollow eyes. He doesn’t seem to notice the scientist as he walks back into the room, his mind elsewhere. Gaster eyes him a little before pulling up a chair. The sound of scraping metal pulls Subject 1 away from his thoughts with a startled jump. The look in his eyes tells him that he’s scared— afraid of whatever Gaster might do next.

“Stay calm or you may aggravate your injury.”

“You mean, the injury you gave me?” Subject 1 says spitefully, and Gaster sits near the side of his metal bed.

“Yes,” Gaster replies after only a moment’s hesitation, “How long do you think you’ve been alive, Subject 1?” 

The skeleton seems shocked at the question, but he turns his head away from him. His answer is a bitter one, “Too long.”

“I had a feeling that would be your reply. I have been monitoring you closely during the last few months—“

“I was hurt for that long?” Subject 1 interjects, and Gaster glares at him with his one eye.

“Don’t interrupt me.” Subject 1 falls silent, and Gaster continues.

“You have been alive for two years, by the way. That is two years of your life spent here, in this place, with your so-called brother, and myself. Two years I’ve spent with this project, most of which tormenting the two of you intentionally or no.”

“Uh…?”

“I do have a point, Subject 1. Don’t interrupt. When I broke your eye, I came to expect similar results as myself. Unable to cope with things as they were, perhaps becoming bitter and depressed. You have fulfilled every one of my expectations, in that regard. All over my mistake.

“I suppose that makes two of us. Nonetheless, under these most recent circumstances, and your fragile health, I have decided to free you.” 

Subject 1 looks at him with shock, and then hatred. “You’re lying,” he says scathingly, so much so that Gaster is almost taken aback. Subject 1 has never been so resolute. 

And so he replies calmly, "I am not lying. This project has been deemed a failure. You, and Subject 2, will be free to leave as soon as you are well.”

“Why? What’re you getting at? Is this a test?” Subject 1 says, and Gaster stands, pushing the chair back where it belongs.

“No,” he says, and he turns to Subject 1 with his hands in his pockets, “It doesn’t matter where you go. Do you remember, the trick I showed you with the plates? I’ll always know where you are. It won’t be necessary to find you, but I’ll be aware.” 

Subject 1 says nothing, looking away and then sobs quietly despite himself. 

“Why are you upset?” Gaster asks, “I would have figured this would be good news for you.”

“I don’t believe you!” Subject 1 lashes out, his one good eye turning blue. His other eye fizzles a little, and he yells in pain, holding that side of his face— the side that had shattered. Gaster holds one hand out, as if he wants to heal him, but he can’t. He knows Subject 1’s HP is low, obviously so, and so he never wanted to aggravate his injury. Though it seems he has.

“Calm down,” Gaster says tersely, “You are still injured.”

“You-You wouldn’t just free us. Not like that. No, this is a test. I-I…”

“Perhaps this news is too inflammatory,” Gaster says, his voice soft, “I had hoped it would speed your recovery.” Subject 1 is becoming more and more distraught by the moment, breathing in and out heavily and holding his bad eye. They exist in the silence for a moment, Gaster watching Subject 1 carefully. He knows exactly how the young skeleton feels, but isn’t sure how to approach him. And so, he remains in this sour silence. “I have… a gift for you, then. You can’t very well go outside being called Subject 1 and Subject 2.”

“W-What?” Subject 1 asks, and he looks up as Gaster approaches, picking up his clipboard from the nearby table.

“I wrote this some time ago, when you were first created. Skeleton’s names are based on their fonts, and so I have decided to call you Sans, short for Comic Sans.” The little skeleton looks up at him, tears welling further in his eyes, and he wipes them away.

“I-I…”

“It doesn’t warrant a response,” Gaster says, “Simply accept. Now rest.”

\--

Subject 2 is pacing when Gaster turns the corner. When the little skeleton sees him, he jumps up and runs to the energy bars.

“I-Is my brother… is he okay? Does he need me?” Gaster shakes his head slightly, enough that Subject 2 can see, “No, he is fine. Emotional, but fine. I need to speak with you.”

“W-What? What happened? D-Did I mess up? Is-Is he okay—” Subject 2 says, and Gaster pulls out his clipboard, silencing him.

“As I have just shared with your… brother,” he says hesitantly, “You are both to be released as soon as he is well.” Subject 2 gasps, seemingly unable to comprehend.

“W-What?”

“You heard me,” Gaster says evenly, and Subject 2’s eyes begin to brighten.

“R-Really?” he asks, “Oh… oh I knew you could do good things! Th-Thank you. T-Thank you…” he starts to dissolve into tears, just as Gaster lets out a small sigh.

“Please calm down,” he says.

“N-No,” the little skeleton sobs, “I-I… I’m so happy! Oh, I wanna tell my brother!”

“Remember, I said he needs to rest. More than that, I’ve already told him. I… well, perhaps that can wait. That will be all for tonight.” He turns on his heels and the little skeleton jumps.

“W-Wait! I-I…” Gaster turns back.

“What?”

“I…” 2-P looks hesitant. As if he wants to say something, but he knows he’ll be rejected for it. Gaster crosses his arms, after giving his clipboard to his signing hands.

“You did an excellent job healing your brother,” he says, unsure if that’s the right thing to say, but 2-P looks at him as if he were everything good in the world. His expression brightens, and a wide grin comes to his face.

“T-Thank you…”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay!
> 
> I didn't do a lot of editing on this... but it's been sitting in my files for awhile, so here we go!

The day passes, and the next arrives. Gaster isn’t sure what to do with these… tools. These children. He’s not sure because he knows if he says anything to the King, or Alphys, they’ll know immediately what had transpired. He’ll be jailed and, despite how much he thinks he deserves it, he needs to keep working on the solution for the fate of Monsterkind.

He hasn’t slept. He hasn’t left the lab, either— in fact, he spent much of the night watching the two of them through the cameras, and though separate, they sleep soundly as if they were together. Well, except for Sans, who seems perturbed when he wakes up. Gaster… isn’t sure what to do. He was never sure, really, because he thought all of this was amounting to something positive. But it wasn’t. He was simply hurting them, and it seems he still is.

When the time allows for it, he stands from his desk and moves to 2P first. He turns off the beams and wonders if they’re necessary now, but 2P is up and looking at him with a mixture of caution and curiosity.

“I-I wasn’t dreaming, right?” he asks, and Gaster quirks up an eyebrow bone.

“What do you mean?” he asks, and 2P’s expression falls a little.

“I dreamed… you said you’d let us go. Is it really happening?”

“Yes,” he says, “It is, and no, you weren’t dreaming. Follow me.” 2P follows after him, and Gaster can feel the skeleton’s eyes boring into the back of his head.

“Um…”

“Is there something you need?” he asks.

“I… uh…” the skeleton says, and Gaster pauses, turning to look at him, “W-Well… um…” He waits, and 2P eventually stammers out his question, “Can I… um… have a hug?” Gaster looks at him, and turns away.

“No,” he says.

“W-Why not?” 2P says, and Gaster sighs, continuing on his way with 2P following close behind.

“I have my reasons, 2P. Oh… yes, I haven’t told you. You have a name, now, other than Subjects 1 and 2. Subject 1’s name is Sans, short for Comic Sans and yours is Papyrus.”

“Really!?” Papyrus says with a wide smile, he can hear it in the little skeleton’s voice. 

“Yes,” Gaster says, and he can feel himself smiling a little, shortly before he wards it off with his usual stone expression. When they make it to where Sans is, they find the skeleton lying on the table, his back to the door.

“Brother! Brother!” Papyrus says, his smile large as he runs over to him, “Wake up! I’m back!” Sans turns over, looking at his brother with a mixture of sadness and relief, before siting up slowly.

“Don’t aggravate his injuries,” Gaster says somewhat uselessly, and the two skeletons hug tight. 

“How are you feeling?” Papyrus asks, and Sans shrugs.

“Pretty bad, but I guess that’s expected, considering.”

“Do you want me to heal you again? I tried really hard… but maybe it wasn’t enough!”

“Okay,” Sans says, and Gaster watches the exchange with little emotion as Papyrus heals his brother as best he can, which is pretty good by all respects.

“How’s that?” he says with a smile.

“Better,” Sans says, and his brother nods.

“That’s good! It looked… um… pretty bad. I’m glad you’re okay now.”

“I guess,” the smaller skeleton says and he sighs, “I’m also guessing’ he told you we’re supposedly gonna leave.”

“Yeah! But… you… don’t look excited. Should I… explain what that means?”

“No!” Sans cries, and he crosses his arms, “He’s playing us. He’s going to try to get our hopes up and then he’s gonna take it all away.”

“He wouldn’t—“

“He’s done it before!” Sans cried, and Papyrus merely looked at him helplessly.

“Go on,” Sans says, glaring at Gaster from his place across the room, “tell him the truth! Don’t lie!”

“I wasn’t lying,” he says simply, “I have never told you that you would ever leave prior to this accident, but I am saying it now. You are leaving.”

“Yeah? And where we gonna go, huh? The first thing I’m gonna do is tell everyone how terrible you are!”

“Brother—“ Papyrus begins, but Sans holds a hand up.

“I’m serious!” he says, “I don’t care. I’m gonna make you pay for what you did to me and my brother if you do let us out. So there.”

“Don’t say that!” Papyrus scolds, and Gaster comes closer.

“You’ve always liked to goad me,” he says simply, “But I’ll tell you the truth. I don’t want to free you, either of you. You have no idea how dangerous the real world is.”

“It can’t be much worse then being tortured every day, never knowing if— if we’re gonna…” he trails off, and tears spring to his eyes. Papyrus hugs him immediately.

“It’s okay,” he says soothingly, “It’s over now! We don’t ever have to go back to that life again.” Gaster merely watches them, and Papyrus looks to him with uncertainty.  
“R-Right?” he asks in a small voice.

“Yes,” Gaster says, and he looks away from them, “I…” He wonders if apologizing is the right thing to do. He doesn’t think it matters, but…

“Now there are some plans for what can be done,” he chooses instead, “I must explain to you the situation here, which undoubtedly you will not understand, but it warrants explanation.” They look at him, Sans’ eyes devoid of light.

“Monsters live underground,” he says first, “and we are trapped here by humans who decided long ago to put us here. A simple explanation is that we once got along, and things changed when humans decided that they wanted to… take everything away from us. There was a long war, and now here we are. We’ve been down here for such a long time that many of us have forgotten what sunlight looks like, save for whatever light we can see through the barrier. That’s what keeps us here, of course— no monster can break it, but enough human souls… can.”

“Souls?” Papyrus asks, and Gaster nods. 

“Yes. Like yours and mine, humans have souls as well. They have a lot more aptitude for things such as determination, and that allows them to create and destroy barriers like the one that keeps us here. You are currently in the Lab, where I study this phenomena and attempt to understand how we can… destroy this barrier.

“I have been studying this for a very long time, before either of you were ever created. And it is, in part, why I created you. Experimentation on living monsters… is unethical, for obvious reasons, but it’s what I decided on. I… wonder if this was the right path, since the project ended in failure…”

“And?” Papyrus asks, eager to know more, but Gaster sighs.

“I think that’s enough.”

“You made us to help everyone leave,” Sans says deadpan, and Gaster nods, “yeah right.”

“Brother!”

“I’m being serious here, when has he ever done anything good for anyone!?”

“When I saved you from certain death,” Gaster says immediately, and Sans blinks, “I didn’t have to do so, Subject— Sans. I could have very easily let you fall. But I didn’t.”

“Why?” He didn’t have an answer to that, and so he remained silent.

“So…” Sans says eventually, “You made us to help people— how stupid does that sound? You have to come up with better lies.”

“I didn’t expect you to understand,” Gaster says, “But… I offer that as an apology— because I never explained to you why these things were happening.”

“An apology!?” Sans screams, but Papyrus soothes him with another hug.

“I forgive you,” the taller brother says, and Sans looks at his brother in utter shock.

“W-What! Bro, you know what he did! You—“

“Yeah,” he says looking down, “I know. But… I can’t stay angry. That wastes energy and… I think he means it.” Gaster isn’t sure what to feel— he expected anger, backlash. But… an acceptance?

“2P— Papyrus,” he says, and he didn’t like the way the name suited the young skeleton, “You’re… nothing that I ever expect.”

“Is that a good thing?” he asked, and Gaster sighs, choosing not to respond.

“I don’t trust you, or forgive you,” Sans says, eyes narrowed, “Why should I, after everything you did! You’re evil!” 

“Have you no sense of self preservation?” Gaster asks, crossing his arms, and he understands after a moment, “Ah, of course you don’t. This is a life you’ve always known.”

“Yeah, and whose fault is that!”

“Brother,” Papyrus says, “Calm down…”

“No!” Sans screams, and he breaks away from Papyrus, though Gaster is sure he is still weak, and stands.

“You’re going to aggravate your injury,” he says, and Sans groans.

“Oh shut up. You’re the one who injured me. And… and I wish I was dead. Just to serve you a lesson in being a jerk! Because that’s all you are, an evil, awful person who deserve’s to die.”

“You don’t mean that!” Papyrus cries, but Sans turns to him with a distant look.

“Of course I do,” he says, as if it were the plainest thing in the world, “Of course I do. Look what he… what he’s done to us. With these— these stupid plates! And he— he nearly killed me! Why wouldn’t I mean it? Why don’t you?”

“Brother—“

“He almost killed me!” Sans says again. Gaster can see his HP, and though it is lower than usual (0.5), he is still stable. Perhaps this would be good for them, to get it all out now before he releases them to the world.

And how would he do that in the first place? Well, he supposes that was something they’d get to when they get to it.

“I know…” Papyrus says evenly, “But he said it was an accident—“

“It wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t do this in the first place! If he… god… He doesn’t even care…” He wipes at his eyes, and turns back to Gaster, all defiance and hatred. But Gaster feels so detached looking at him, and at Papyrus, that he’s sure he’s too empty to do anything. He’s thinking about what would have happened if he hadn’t done any of this. Instead of playing cleanup, they could all be happy, normal, and unhurt…

Well, everyone except for himself.

“Say something!” Sans screams, and Gaster sighs, watching the monster’s hp and wondering… He brings up a hand and takes ahold of Sans’ soul, lifting him off the ground.

“Ah!”

“Brother!” Papyrus screams. Gaster slowly and carefully puts him back on the table he’d been on before, next to Papyrus, and lets him go. Papyrus grabs Sans immediately, and they look up at him, silent.

“I thought that would stop you from going on and on,” Gaster says, and his form and voice betraying how exhausted he is, “What’s happened is happened, and I can’t change any of it. But what I can do is… change the future, I suppose. It seems relatively ridiculous, and in some ways it is, but… I created you. I named you. And despite my best attempts I… grew attached. And that was my mistake. I shouldn’t have, but nonetheless the project has ended in failure, and the two of you are going to be released. That’s all there is to say.”

“So you don’t hate us…” Papyrus says, “You… you never hated us?”

“No,” Gaster says, “Now, Subject 1— Sans, your HP is low. I don’t think this prolonged contact is helping you very much.”

“I can heal him!” Papyrus says, immediately eager. He heals his brother as best he knows how, which is(once again) pretty great, all things considering. After all, Sans’ health is at 0.6 now, which is far better than Gaster could have done.

“Once you’re back at full health, we can discuss what you’re going to do—“

“I can’t believe it!” Papyrus says, and he looks positively giddy, “Oh! I have an idea! Can we stay with you—“

“No!” Sans cries, and Gaster resists putting a hand to his forehead.

“You’ve been staying with me for the past two years,” he says, “Do you want that?”

“W-Well no. But you… don’t live here, right?”

“With the amount of time he spent torturing us, I wouldn’t doubt it,” Sans mutters, and Papyrus glares at him before turning back to Gaster.

“I just… I mean… what if the other monsters are mean to us? And um… you made us, so…”

“Not a terrible idea,” Gaster says, “However, you must understand. I am trying to help everyone in the Underground get out of here. If you compromise that in any way, you’ll be sent elsewhere.”

“We'll be good!” Papyrus cries, and he looks positively delighted at the idea.

“I would have expected Sans to object almost immediately,” he says, and he looks at the smaller skeleton. He’s busy looking down at the plate bolted into his hand.

“Yeah,” he says, “I do. But… I also don’t really care where we go. I don’t want to be here anymore.”

“Alright,” Gaster says, and he's sure this is going to go poorly, “Alright.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I've been writing this on and off since around the time I first discovered Zarla's Handplates AU! Quite a bit has already been written, so I'll upload what I have over time.
> 
> Anyways, thanks for stopping by!


End file.
